As Long As There's A Breath
by Keirou
Summary: Spirit and Stein have been friends for a long while, but it seems as though there's something more to their relationship than either quite realizes. Will they find it? Based on a fic a friend of mine wrote from Stein's PoV.


Summer break. That glorious time when people spent more time out in the sun in short, light clothing than indoors. It was one of Spirit Albarn's favorite times of the year. Unfortunately, today he was spending it at Shibusen listening to Shinigami-sama give a lecture to the school's newest teacher. Since the teacher was Spirit's former partner, Dr. Franken Stein, however, it did at least have the potential to be entertaining. He tried to keep his occasional snickers to himself, though; Stein had never liked being laughed at.

"Honestly, Stein-kun," Shinigami-sama said, leaning down to be more on Stein's level, "you should know better than to let things like that wander around unsupervised."

"It was completely supervised, Shinigami-sama," Stein said, tone as disinterested as usual. He never changed, did he?

"Tell that to the huge bill I got last week!" Shinigami-sama said, waggling one overlarge white finger in Stein's face. The effect was comical; Spirit barely managed to keep a straight face.

"That...was a miscalculation," Stein said, eyeing the finger as though pondering cutting it off. Which, Spirit admitted, he could very well be. But this was the first he'd heard of a large bill being Stein's fault...

"Uh...what, exactly, happened?" he asked, looking from Shinigami-sama to Stein. The glare Stein shot him made him instantly shift his gaze back to Shinigami-sama. Huh. Looked like Stein was a little touchy about the whole thing...made sense, though.

"One of my experiments thought it would be fun to take out the gym wall." Stein's answer was short and to the point. Spirit did a double-take. What the hell was Stein working on now?

"That's coming out of your next paycheck, by the way," Shinigami-sama helpfully put in. Spirit sighed and looked down. In some aspects, Shinigami-sama really needed to work on his people-skills.

Apparently Stein was having similar feelings. "Remind me again why I work here?" he muttered to himself.

"Because you get to work with Spirit-kun, of course," Shinigami-sama said cheerfully, and with apparently no sense of just how awkward that statement was.

Spirit froze for a moment, then slowly looked at Stein, who was already staring at the floor. ..._because that's exactly what I needed to hear. You're still too damn creepy, Stein..._

Stein didn't seem to be in a hurry to dispel the creepy aura, either. "I enjoy being in close proximity to my experiments," he muttered, not looking at either of the other two.

Spirit glowered at him. _Experiment, my ass_, he thought. _That's all anyone is to you_.

Shinigami-sama continued speaking, not put off at all by the two men in the room. "Just remember," he told Stein, waving a hand around, "before I hired you as a substitute you were just that creepy old guy in the creepy old house with the creepy old chair."

Spirit suppressed a snicker.

Stein looked irritated. "I'm 27, not old," he said, "and neither I, nor my house or chair is creepy. Just...different."

"Tell that to the screaming students," Spirit remarked offhandedly, a smirk on his face. It quickly disappeared at the glower Stein shot him. _Hmph. Creepy._

"And there's the fact that you experiment on your partners while they sleep," Shinigami-sama reminded the pair of them. The memories made Spirit shudder. He didn't need the reminder...some of those scars still hadn't faded. Shinigami-sama shook a finger at Stein again. "Clean up your act, or Spirit-kun won't be the only person I Shinigami-chop."

Spirit glanced at Stein and couldn't quite help himself; the opportunity was right there. He grinned. "He's got good aim, too. You'd really be screwed then."

Stein's eyes narrowed. "Senpai..."

"Oi, he's just screwing around," Shinigami-sama interrupted, giggling merrily.

Stein stood up suddenly, one hand reaching to turn his screw once as he turned for the door. "Thickheads," he muttered angrily.

"Looks like somebody missed his morning smoke," Shinigami-sama continued in an entirely too cheerful voice. "I wouldn't wander around Death City tonight if I were you, Spirit-kun."

"...way ahead of you, boss," Spirit said absently, watching Stein leave out of the corner of his eye. Shinigami-sama really never knew when to leave well enough alone, did he?

"Alrighty then! Meeting adjourned!" Shinigami-sama clapped twice before leaving himself, leaving Spirit alone in the room.

Spirit sighed softly and ran a hand through his hair. Just how upset was Stein about all this, anyway? Looked like it was up to him to sort things out, as usual. Spirit started after Stein. It was something he was used to; he'd been partnered with Stein when they were young to look after him and keep him in check. Sorting out problems like this had almost become second nature to him, even after all these years. He stepped out the front doors of the school only to see Stein sitting on the steps in front of him, lighting a cigarette and talking to himself.

"If I had known I'd get this much grief from this screw-"

"You still would've done it," Spirit finished for him, chuckling as he stepped up beside Stein, hands in his pockets. He didn't look down at his former partner, instead looking out over the view of Death City. Shibusen being at the very top of the hill the town was built on meant the view from the top of the steps was something quite spectacular.

"Yeah, I probably would have," Stein replied after a moment. There was a short pause, then the distinctive sound of pencil on paper. Spirit glanced down to see Stein scribbling away in the notebook he always seemed to have on him. The contents were a mystery, as were his reasons for writing things down, and Spirit had never yet had the courage to ask him what was up with the damn thing. He looked away again, just trying to ignore it as he usually did, and Stein snickered.

"What's so funny?" Spirit asked, glancing back down again after a moment.

"Oh, nothing, really," Stein answered easily, letting out a smoke-skull; that was a skill Spirit had never seen duplicated, and as much as Stein occasionally creeped him out, he had to admit it was pretty cool. "Just remembering when I used to take pictures of you," Stein continued in that same cool tone. "While you were being dissected, back when we were kids."

Spirit shuddered. He'd tried to bury those memories.

"Remember?" Stein's grin was audible; he was enjoying himself, the bastard. "I'd hide the pictures in your locker..."

"I need a drink," Spirit muttered. Possibly more than one, if he had his way.

"You know, Senpai," Stein said, looking up with a wide grin, "you still owe me a night of drinking."

Spirit eyed him for a moment, mind flashing through all the ulterior motives Stein could have that he knew about, then he sighed. There was always the chance that he was over-thinking things and Stein just wanted a drink. Not that he'd ever seen the man drink before, but people could change. "Well, given you might be brought up on charges anyway," Spirit said in a manner a bit too forced to be honestly gruff, "I guess you could use one too. All right, let's go."

"Yes, let's," Stein said, rising and sliding his cigarettes back into his pocket before starting down the stairs toward Death City. Spirit followed, carefully leaving at least an arm's length between himself and Stein. The self-imposed neutral zone didn't last much longer than the stairs did, however. Part of the problem with Stein was that he was often avoided, if not outright ostracized due to his reputation and his looks; let's face it, a guy with a screw through his head is going to look creepy no matter how you slice it. Spirit didn't have the heart to leave that much space between them when they were going out drinking together anyway. Within twenty steps after the stairs he was walking beside his former partner, hands in his pockets as casually as if he were walking with a friend. Which, he really had to admit, he kind of was.

After a few more minutes of walking in silence, Stein finally spoke. "So how's Maka? Made any progress?"

What good mood Spirit had had vanished instantly. He stared at the pavement in front of them. "N-no..." he said quietly. "She still hates me. I've tried everything...I even sent her a present for doing well on her test, and that just made things worse!" Why had she gotten so worked up over a book...maybe she really didn't want anything even remotely to do with him...that thought nearly broke his heart.

"...I heard about that," Stein said after a pause. "What did you expect, sending your daughter something like that?"

Spirit blinked and looked up, confused. "Like what?" he asked, suddenly worried. "I asked for a book!" Had something gotten mixed up? Maybe that was it...

Stein gave him a quizzical look. "Asked? Who'd you ask?"

Spirit blinked, then covered his eyes with a hand. "...Blair-chan from the cabaret..." he said with a sigh. "She lives with Maka, so I thought she could pick it up on the way home! I even said for her to get a book Maka'd like!" Now that he thought about it, though, Blair probably wasn't the most reliable person he could have asked...that had probably been his mistake.

Stein chuckled. "Your daughter received a copy of the Kama Sutra, along with some lacy lingerie," he announced, with a certain amount of amusement in his voice. Some things really never did change, did they; he still liked poking Spirit's buttons.

Spirit just froze on hearing what Blair had gotten for Maka, then his knees gave out and he just crumbled to the ground in a moment of overdramatic melancholy. "Maka! I'm so sorry! Daddy didn't mean to send you that kind of thing...!" He cried out, voice partially muffled by the concrete he was currently yelling at.

"You really should start doing those sorts of things yourself," Stein commented above him, unmoved by his melodramatics, "or at least ask someone who isn't an 'entertainer'."

"B-but..." Spirit rolled over slightly to look up at his former partner, eyes still a little watery, "Blair-chan lives with Maka, and...and I didn't think my little girl would accept it if I gave it to her myself..." She rarely seemed to want anything at all to do with him, after all.

"Next time, just do it yourself," Stein said matter-of-factly as he grabbed the back of Spirit's jacket and hauled him off the ground. "I guarantee you'll get better results." Spirit sniffled and looked up, only realizing they were in front of his favorite cabaret as Stein pulled the door open with his free hand. Spirit immediately straightened up, dusting himself off, and made a beeline for his usual table in the corner. He only noticed Stein hadn't entered with him when he sat down, and blinked back at the doorway. Stein seemed to be looking around for someone. Spirit blinked again, vaguely confused, but Stein seemed to be satisfied with what he saw, as he soon walked in and sat down in the seat across from Spirit.

Spirit leaned back in his seat, already happier just in the familiar setting. He grinned, seeing one of the girls pass by, and gave her a friendly whistle. "Yumie-chan! You're looking lovelier every time I see you."

Yumie walked over, short skirt swishing teasingly over her thighs with each step. Spirit knew the whole look was calculated and practiced, but that didn't mean it wasn't fun to watch. He happily grinned up at her when she paused beside the table. "Well, hello, Death Scythe-sama," she bubbled, using his title as most people did. Occasionally it bothered him, but never here; he didn't really want the girls here using his given name. "Welcome back! And just who is this hot thing you've brought with you?" Yumie's glance strayed to Stein. Spirit had to give her credit, she was good at her job; if she had any kind of reaction to Stein's appearance she didn't show it save for a flicker in her eyes, and she still manage to find a flattering comment. "So dark and mysterious-looking!"

"Oh, he's just an old friend," Spirit said easily, turning her attention back to him. Stein didn't seem all that impressed with Yumie's attitude and hadn't even looked at her; he was currently staring at Spirit's tie as though he'd never seen it before. The attention made Spirit more than a little self-conscious but he hid it as best he could. "Now how about you bring us some drinks, hm?" he gave Yumie his most charming smile.

"The usual, right?" Yumie asked, her voice sweeter than rock candy.

Spirit's smile widened and turned just crooked enough to be subtly flirtatious. "You know me so well," he said, his voice smooth.

"Alrighty then!" Yumie gave him a wink, then turned and swayed her way over to the bar. Spirit watched her go absently, wondering if Risa and Arisa might be available to keep then company. And why Stein had been staring at his tie. Surely there were other distractions around if he wasn't interested in Yumie. And, come to that, Stein knew very well what kind of place Chupa Cabra's was, but he'd come here anyway..._I'd almost forgotten how thoughtful you could be..._

Spirit's train of thought was broken by a hand in front of his face. He blinked and glanced over at Stein, mildly annoyed. "Oh, come on, Stein," he said, "Lighten up a little. Loosen your tie, or your screw, or whatever, and relax for once." Surely the man knew how to do that, right?

Stein just rolled his eyes. "You don't want to know what will happen if I 'loosen my screw'," he said, emphasizing the phrase with unnecessary air quotes; his tone did enough emphasizing on its own.

Spirit eyed the screw, tempted to give it a turn just to see what would happen, but something about the flat look Stein gave him dissuaded him. Fortunately, at that point, the drinks arrived.

"And here you go!" Yumie said happily, setting their drinks down on the table. She leaned over to give Spirit a peck on the cheek before walking away, leaving the red-haired man quite content.

That is, until he noticed the look Stein was giving the waitress. Spirit raised an eyebrow as he picked up his own drink. What was with him? Maybe they should have gone someplace else...but Stein had opted for Chupa's, it hadn't been Spirit's choice. Very odd. Spirit downed most of his drink in two swallows, mulling over the mystery of Stein's behavior. The man really did need to learn to relax and live a little...

"So, Senpai," Stein said, again interrupting Spirit's train of thought, "How's Kami?"

The casual mention of his ex-wife normally would send Spirit into a spiraling attack of melodrama, but the alcohol and Yumie's cheerful attitude had mostly negated that option. Spirit shrugged with a faint smile. "Mm...I dunno, really," he said, swirling the remains of his drink absently. "Last I heard she was travelling. Somewhere in the Middle East, I think." He looked over his glass at Stein and grinned a bit as his companion took a sip. Maybe Stein was loosening up, if in baby steps. "Someday I'll get around to travelling too," he continued thoughtfully. "I want to see the world...but for now I'm happy to stay here and watch my little girl grow up." Spirit couldn't help the fatherly smile on his face. Maka might hate him, but as long as he was able, as long as she was around, he could at least watch his daughter grow. Wasn't that every parent's dream?

"She sure has come a long way since I first met her, that's for sure," Stein said with a chuckle.

Spirit's grin widened. "Sure she has!" he said, pride in his voice. "She's my daughter, after all! And she got her mother's smarts."

Stein smiled faintly, which made Spirit blink. It was rare to see Stein smile, though he had a pretty good one. "She's quite intelligent," Stein agreed, "being able to perform Majou-gari at just a young age. I only know of one other weapon and meister that managed that..."

Spirit swallowed the last of his drink and grinned, knowing exactly what Stein was referring to. "Yeah. Us!" Those had been some good days, even with Stein's...issues, he had to admit. He leaned back in his seat, pleased to see Stein apparently loosening up more and taking an actual drink rather than a sip. Seeing Yumie passing, he waved his empty glass at her. She quickly brought him a refill and it disappeared almost as fast as the first. Spirit looked across the table at Stein for a long moment, a nice buzz settling in. It was too soon for it to actually be the alcohol, he knew, but he didn't mind. It still felt nice.

After few minutes he spoke again. "You know somethin', Franken," he began, using Stein's given name. It was something he hadn't done since they'd been boys.

Stein gave him a flat look. "You, of all people, should know not to call me that."

"Yeah, yeah, sure, whatever," Spirit waved a hand dismissively. "Anyway, I sort of miss the good old days, y'know? Just me an' you against all the bitc-I mean witches." He grinned at his purposeful slip and its success in drawing out even the barest hint of a laugh from Stein. Yep, slowly but steadily, his old partner was learning to loosen up. Spirit called that progress.

Several drinks later, however, it was Stein that glanced at the clock. Spirit barely noticed, having a bit too much fun, but he looked up when Stein stood and stretched.

"Hey, Senpai, it's been...interesting," Stein said looking down at him. Spirit blinked back. "But I feel I should return to my lab before it gets any later."

Spirit blinked again, then shot across the table and grabbed the nearest bit of Stein he could – an arm – and held on. "No...!" he said, once again in melodrama-mode. "Don't leave me, I'll get lonely!" They'd been having a good time, too, and Stein had made progress in the relaxing area, he couldn't leave now!

"I'm sure there are plenty of people here who would love to keep you company," Stein said, his voice perhaps a little harsher than it should be. The harsh tone grew as he added, "among other things."

Spirit looked up at him, almost the picture of pathetic. "But I don' wanna hang out with them!" he whined. He enjoyed the company of the cabaret girls, sure, but nothing more, and only for a little while. He pondered how to explain this to Stein even as the taller man attempted to extricate himself from Spirit's grip. There wasn't a girl in Chupa Cabra's that really appealed to Spirit in, well, that kind of way. He'd flirt and cuddle all day long, but when it came right down to it, well...they weren't really _company_, were they? It was the same reason he was glad they never used his given name.

He pouted a little as Stein started to leave, then realized that he was still holding onto the man's arm. Instantly cheerful again, Spirit tagged along as Stein made his way out the door and into the street, chattering about nothing at all as they went. "Well, y'see, Yumie-chan actually has a boyfriend, and Blair-chan, well, she lives with my daughter, and Risa-chan and Arisa-chan are a little young, but, you know, I saw them the other day and they were reading one of the manga that Maka likes, you know I've been thinking of taking a look at it myself, I mean I'm not usually a manga kind of guy but it looks interesting and Maka likes it, and maybe if I had something more in common with her..."

He barely paused for breath, not really noticing Stein's increasing amusement with his buzzed rambling, just pleased to have someone to really talk to. The completely-one-sided conversation continued all the way to the lab and to the door, Spirit only barely noticing their surroundings as he spoke. "...and anyway, that whole thing about me being a ladies' man isn't completely true, I mean, don't get me wrong, I love the ladies and they obviously love me, but they aren't the only ones I'll go after, I mean, I-"

"Senpai!" Stein's voice cut through Spirit's rambling, the pained tone not penetrating through the haze.

Spirit looked up at him a bit sulkily at the interruption. "What?"

"I'm sorry to interrupt your explanation," Stein said, his voice oddly calm with the faint light of pain in his eyes, "but you've procured your blades and one of them is cutting open my side..."

Spirit blinked up at him, eyes widening in a bit in surprise, then he glanced down and immediately let go, jumping back in shock on seeing the blood. The blades on his arms vanished immediately and he looked up at Stein, more sober than he had been a moment before. "Shit, Stein, I'm sorry, I..."

Stein merely shrugged, looking as cool as ever. "It's fine, I'll fix it inside.

_Bastard. Stop acting cool_. Spirit threw the lab doors open and strode in, looking around for something to use to stem the blood flow. He had no idea when his blades had manifested or how long Stein had been bleeding, let alone how deep the cut went. Part of him didn't want to know. He heard Stein chuckle behind him, the sound cutting off with a quiet, barely audible grunt of pain, and his jaw clenched. _That's why. Idiot...say something sooner!_

"Calm down, Senpai," Stein's voice was still calm somehow. Spirit glanced over his shoulder to see Stein headed for the actual lab area of the house. With a sigh he followed, his stomach clenching slightly as Stein picked up a needle and silk thread. More stitches, was it? As if Stein needed any more. He paused, barely into the room, as Stein casually removed his coat and shirt, revealing the gash in his side. Spirit wanted to look away but forced himself to look at what he'd done to the man who was his oldest friend.

As Stein calmly cleaned the blood off with a damp rag, it became apparent that the wound just looked worse than it actually was. Spirit relaxed a little, then tried to cover a wince as Stein began stitching his own wound closed. His eyes flicked to the man's face, searching for any hint of the pain that had to be causing, but he saw none; he wasn't sure if that should make him worried or relieved. Trying not to look at what Stein's hands were doing, Spirit's eyes absently travelled over the rest of his old partner's body, taking in the scars and stitches. So many, more than he remembered. Some of those had definitely not been there back when they'd been partnered...

"Yes, they're self-inflicted," Stein's voice jarred Spirit out of his reverie. "I've been lacking specimens over the years."

Spirit's eyes widened slightly, though he tried to hide his shock in a teasing remark. "Shit, Stein, I didn't know you missed me _that_ much." _To do all that to yourself...was there no one else...did you stop...?_

Stein chuckled softly, glancing up for a moment. "Always so full of yourself," he said, teasingly, but then his tone grew serious. "but even your narcissistic statements hold some truth." A pause. "I haven't dissected anyone since you left to be Kami's partner."

Spirit looked down. So he'd been right. That should make him feel better, shouldn't it? That Stein hadn't hurt anyone else? Except he had...just not in a way Spirit had ever thought before. It really did bother him, seeing what Stein had done to himself...the conflict was ruining what was left of his buzz.

"I don't like being seen as a monster, Senpai..."

The quiet tone of Stein's voice made Spirit look back up. "You're not a monster, Stein," he said, in an equally quiet tone, "you're just-"

"Different." Stein finished for him. "I know." He cut the thread and ran a finger along the fresh scar and its stitches, testing his work.

Spirit watched him for a moment, then sighed and took a step forward. "I never saw you as a monster, you know," he said. "Not really."

Stein looked up, looking vaguely surprised. "...Really? After all I did to you?"

Spirit just chuckled at the disbelieving tone and gave Stein a wry smile. "If I did, do you think we would have ever worked so well together? Even with you matching our wavelengths?"

Stein met his eyes, expression unreadable. "After all I've done, the last thing I deserve is your kindness."

Spirit raised an eyebrow, then sighed and smiled fondly, reaching up to ruffle the shaggy silver hair just as he used to when they were boys. _You really haven't changed much, have you...you used to say the same thing back then..._

Stein matched his smile. "Just like old times..."

"It is, kinda, isn't it?" Spirit grinned back at him, then gave him an amusedly irritated look as Stein stood up.

"I'm a bit taller now, though," Stein remarked, gauging the measurement with his hand.

"Only a little," Spirit teased, straightening up to his full height as though there wouldn't still be a couple inches' difference in their heights.

"Who'd have thought big, bad Senpai would be looking up to me one day?" Stein said, teasing.

Spirit raised an eyebrow, an almost challenging light in his eyes. "Up _at_, not _to_." He corrected. "At least use the right word."

"You're forgetting," Stein said, smirking and leaning down to Spirit's eye-level, "I'm a teacher now. And the teacher is always right." His eyes may have had a mischievous look to them, but his voice was just as cool as it ever was.

"I was a teacher once," Spirit protested, blue-grey eyes not leaving Stein's grey-green. He never had figured out how Stein could manage to tease someone and not have his voice change in the slightest.

"Ah, but I'm currently employed as one, and you are not," Stein's voice lowered slightly. "Now, apologize to Sensei."

Spirit stared at him for a moment, then closed his eyes, shaking his head and taking a step backward. "Oi, you're not _my_ teacher," he said shortly. Those eyes had always had a vague hypnotic effect on him...it didn't seem to have lessened in the slightest, nor had the resulting feeling. He'd always passed it off as a side effect of whatever Stein had done to him that day, but...maybe...

"Pity," Stein said, still calm. "There's so much I could teach you." He turned around and reached for his shirt to put it back on.

Spirit blinked, hit by a sudden urge to just give that apology. "A-wait a minute, I-what...what, exactly, am I supposed to be apologizing for, again?" he managed. He wasn't entirely sure why it mattered all of a sudden, though...well...there was some small part of him that didn't really want that shirt put back on just yet.

Stein glanced back at him, apparently unruffled. "Being unruly and causing a disturbance in my lab," he said simply.

"Oh. Uh. Oops?" Spirit winced inwardly. _Really? Dammit...there's got to be something better..._

"Oops?" Stein repeated, his voice barely a whisper as he turned back to face Spirit. "Oops? That's the best apology you can come up with?"

Spirit flushed slightly, feeling distinctly cornered. "No," he said defensively, "I'm just trying to work out an over-the-top apology, you know me." And it was the truth, really. He just was having absolutely no luck, and he hadn't the faintest clue why. There had to be something that would take Stein off-guard and ruffle those permanently smooth feathers of his, right?

"Always over the top," Stein chuckled quietly. "Didn't anyone tell you silence is golden?"

Silence. A silent apology. Spirit's mind suddenly provided him with a few pictures of what might qualify as a silent apology. Would that work? One of those, surely, would surprise the hell out of Stein, right? Besides...it was as good an opportunity as he was likely to get to find the answer to another question. Spirit looked up at him, already feeling his pulse quicken just slightly. He leaned forward, leaving barely an inch between their faces. "You want a silent apology?" he asked, his voice soft. "How's this?"

He closed the rest of the distance in a soft kiss and felt Stein freeze in surprise. _Hah. Got you._ A moment later, though, and the kiss was being returned, a soft appreciative sound escaping as Stein pressed forward slightly. Spirit pulled back, managing to keep his breathing under control. His heart was racing. He could feel the warmth of a faint blush on his cheeks as he looked up at his former meister. That reaction...then it was... Spirit tried to focus on the present rather than his currently scattered thoughts. "Will that do?" he asked, keeping his voice soft. If he put any volume into it, he was worried it might betray something. What, he didn't know, but something.

"Perfectly well," Stein replied, his voice equally quiet. "Now for my apology." Spirit had barely a moment to wonder just what Stein was apologizing for when he was being kissed again and the question ceased to matter. He felt a gentle tug on his lower lip and reacted hesitantly, allowing the added intimacy. His hands came up, one meeting the fabric of the patchwork shirt still absently being held by the scientist, and he gently tugged it out of Stein's grasp to let it fall on the floor beside them, pulling the silver-haired man closer even as he felt Stein's fingers entwine themselves in his hair.

This was real, Spirit knew, not a side effect of some imagined drug or experiment. Why it had taken him so long to realize, no one would ever know; the strange feeling he would get sometimes when their eyes would meet, the reason he had pulled back a time or two when their teasing had gone too far...had all been because of this. It made little sense, but it didn't have to. Not now, when it didn't matter. When what he'd wanted even back then was now within his grasp...he pulled back a little. Not enough to break the embrace they were now in, but enough to look up, to speak softly. "...I guess you'll want me to stick around for the night, then," he said, looking up to meet Stein's grey-green eyes.

He felt the hand in his hair slide out and for a moment was worried. Would Stein let go? But those eyes were soft, with an emotion Spirit had never seen in them before, and when Stein spoke it was just as soft. "I won't object."

Spirit smiled slightly, then rested his hand over Stein's newest line of stitches, eyes flickering to concern. "Your side..."

Stein just rested a hand over Spirit's, expression unchanging. "You let me worry about that." His hand tightened on Spirit's for a moment before he added, "Spirit-senpai."

Spirit didn't have time to argue before he was lost in another kiss.

The sun had long since risen by the time voices began to rouse Spirit from his sleep. He lay where he was for a few minutes as consciousness asserted itself and the realization set in that the voices were coming from a television. Opening his eyes, he blinked blearily at the half of a bed in front of him, covered in stitches. That was right...a small smile crept across his face and he glanced around to see Stein sitting at the foot of the bed. With a yawn, Spirit brushed hair out of his face and sat up himself, stretching a bit before shifting to use Stein's leg as a pillow, watching the pictures on the TV screen. "Hey."

"Morning, uke," Stein replied, not even looking down.

Spirit glowered at him, a look that usually silenced most people. Stein wasn't most people, though. The scientist merely chuckled and ruffled Spirit's hair, in return for which Spirit stuck his tongue out childishly.

"Don't stick that out if you aren't going to use it." Stein's voice carried the promise that _he_ would find a use for it, if Spirit couldn't.

Spirit turned his attention to the television, thankful to have a handy subject change. "What's on?"

"Forensic Files."

That explained the nature of the program. _You would watch something like that, wouldn't you?_ "I see."

"You can change it if you want," Stein offered, but Spirit shook his head.

"Nah, I'm good." He stood up, stretching again. "I'm going to get myself a ramune."

"If you wanted one, you could have asked," Stein said flatly. "I would have gotten it."

"Either way one of us would've been getting up," Spirit pointed out over his shoulder, headed for the kitchen.

Stein was silent for a moment. "...Good point."

"I do have those occasionally," Spirit said, teasingly.

"Yes," Stein said, his tone dry yet teasing, "you and your moments of semi-brilliance."

"What d'you mean semi?" Spirit protested, looking injured.

"Senpai," Stein's tone was patient, "you're not wearing any clothing."

Spirit blinked and glanced down, then went a pale shade of pink and stalked back to the bed, digging around until finding his boxers. Pulling them on in silence, he stalked out of the room to the kitchen, muttering to himself. "Damn horny doctors, not like he cared at all, always has to have the last word, that's his problem...bastard..." He pulled open the refrigerator and inspected the contents before pulling out a bottle of ramune. Just as he was about to shut the door, Stein's arm flashed across his vision as the taller man reached across to the freezer, pulling out a strawberry popsicle.

Spirit raised an eyebrow at him as they headed back to the bedroom. "Addicted to strawberry?" he asked.

"I like strawberry," Stein replied easily, "but mint happens to be my addiction. Sadly I ate the last of the peppermint ice cream yesterday." He let his sentence trail off as he opened the popsicle and began eating quietly.

Spirit stared at him for a moment. First off, it was actually hard to picture Stein liking anything sweet, let alone ice cream. Secondly, the way he was eating that popsicle was seriously distracting...Spirit looked away quickly, back to the TV. "Shame they don't make peppermint popsicles," he said, in an effort to seem normal.

"Isn't it?" Stein replied easily. "I would very much enjoy them if they did exist." He licked at his popsicle again; it was melting fairly fast.

Spirit stared again, unbidden memories of last night running through his mind until he mentally shoved them back. "You could probably make your own," he pointed out after a moment.

Stein perked up visibly. "Yes...I'll have to do that," he said. The pair sat in silence, Stein with his popsicle and Spirit attempting to watch TV. That popsicle really was distracting...it would be a relief when it was gone. That moment came soon enough, and Stein casually tossed the stick into the nearby trash can before leaning over to his nightstand. "I need something mint now," he muttered, digging through the drawer.

Spirit watched him bemusedly, then raised an eyebrow as Stein produced a candy cane and unwrapped one end. "You keep candy canes in your nightstand?" he asked, trying not to smile. "That's...unexpectedly cute of you."

"I told you," Stein said through a mouth full of candy cane, "I'm addicted to mint."

Spirit just chuckled as they both returned their attention to the television. The program had moved on without them, but that really didn't matter.

"Hee...someone died," Stein said through his candy cane after a few minutes

Spirit raised an eyebrow. "You aren't supposed to be pleased by that, you know."

Stein glanced at him, pulling the candy cane out of his mouth. "I mean, oh shit. Someone died. That's a damned shame." His voice remained deadpan as he spoke, just emphasizing his sarcasm.

Spirit rolled his eyes. " Smartass."

Stein smirked at him, pointedly returning the candy cane to his mouth. He licked at it slowly, savoring the taste. Spirit couldn't help but stare, his mind providing a nice substitution for the candy cane that made him suppress a shiver. Stein, entirely too aware of his gaze for Spirit's liking, said quite calmly, "Want one?"

Spirit forced himself to look away, managing to at least sound normal. "Nah. I only like mint if it's paired with something. Like chocolate."

"Paired with something, huh?" Stein said after a moment. He leaned toward Spirit, then shoved the red-haired man onto his back suddenly. Spirit stared up at him in surprise and confusion...and rising excitement, though he wasn't about to admit that one just yet. What the hell? He was about to ask what was going on when suddenly Stein had him pinned to the bed in a hard, searing kiss. There was no fighting against it, Spirit didn't even try; he just closed his eyes, surrendering himself to the kiss and the cool yet spicy taste of peppermint that came with it.

It didn't last very long, and Spirit stared at the ceiling for a moment afterward, breathless. "What...the hell...was that...?"

"I was pairing the mint with something," Stein said, as though it was obvious. He turned to dig through the nightstand for another candy cane, then paused. Spirit cocked his head, vaguely confused. "Well, would you look what I found," Stein proclaimed happily, turning to show Spirit a small collection of photographs. "Some of the old photos from our dissection sessions!"

Spirit suppressed a shudder, looking away. That had successfully killed any mood there had been for him. There were some things that he would be just as happy never having brought up again, and that was one of them. He knew he'd been Stein's favorite experiment, he didn't need reminding every other day.

"...I haven't dissected you in a long time, Senpai," Stein said, his voice softer. "The last time I even examined you was after the battle you and Shinigami-sama had with Ashura."

Spirit blinked and glanced up to see Stein putting the pictures away. He remembered that battle...it had been harsh, and that was putting it lightly.

"...I was scared that day..." Stein's voice grew even softer, his face angled away. "Scared that you were going to die, and leave me here alone..."

_Stein..._ Spirit reached forward, pulling Stein into a firm hug. "You, of all people, should know how sturdy I am," he said softly, reassuring.

"I know...it was an unfounded fear..." Stein shifted, returning Spirit's hug with an almost desperate feel. "But something...hurt...inside of me when I heard what had happened."

Spirit blinked down at him. _Hurt? When he heard...Stein, were you...?_ His expression softened into a small smile. Stein wasn't familiar with what most people termed 'normal' emotions, was he? "That's what happens," he said, "when you're worried about someone."

"I worried, then," Stein said, his voice still soft. "I worried that you were going to die before I could get there...I didn't know what I'd do if you died...you're the only person in my life who's ever come close to understanding me..." he looked up at Spirit, his eyes strangely vulnerable in their softness. "You see past the freak with the stitches and the screw."

Spirit looked back at him fondly. "Well, it helps that I knew you before those," he admitted. "You may be strange, Stein...but I never thought of you as a freak."

Stein said nothing for a moment, just looking up at him. "...Thank you for staying with me all these years, Senpai," he said, finally. "...you're more than an experiment."

Spirit blinked at his phrasing. More than an experiment...his eyes widened slightly at the realization, then he smiled softly and leaned down to kiss Stein's forehead. "I'll be here," he promised. "As long as there's a breath left in me."


End file.
